


The Seasons Have All Come

by WataruWatanabe



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Background Relationships, Depression, Falling In Love, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Beta We Die Like Glen, Post-Time Skip, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:42:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WataruWatanabe/pseuds/WataruWatanabe
Summary: Finally the grueling war is over. A new sense of normalcy can be made, but in the after math Sylvain comes to find that love blooms through cracks. His friends get on with their lives and start to settle down and Sylvain has to wonder if he could hope to settle down with someone he truly loves in the changing world where maybe crests don't matter.(Tags and Rating may potentially change as the fic progresses.)
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Kudos: 13





	The Seasons Have All Come

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter contains spoilers for the blue lion route, and continues on after the end of the war. The main pairing is Dimivain but there are side pairings like Annette and Felix or Ashe and Ingrid.

This had to be some cruel joke Sylvain thought, nails digging into the flesh of his palm. First they had lost the professor, then Rhea, and now they had lost Dimitri. The dead part of him believed what that asshole said, that Dimitri was beheaded and gone. The alive part of him thought that was a load of crap because Dimitri was strong and just; he would stay alive to make things right. Dedue was gone. Garreg Mach was in shambles, and Dimitri had slowly been losing his mind before he was captured. The joke would have been that everything could be okay in a world obsessed with crests and saints. 

Dimly, Sylvain became aware of the pain in his palm and the sudden sticky wetness. Unfurling his hand made the pain sharper, and when he looked there was four red crescents pressed into the thinner middle area of his palm. He couldn't help the laugh that tore from his lips nor the stinging welling up in his eyes. 

A harsh thud resounded in the air as the breath was knocked out of him. 

"We're going to have a meeting. Hurry up." Felix said as he walked past Sylvain. "Don't start moping just because the boar is missing. He's too stubborn and savage to die by the hands of someone like her." 

"Of course. His highness wouldn't submit so easily. " Sylvain says, his following laugh too high to be real. 

"We'll find the boar soon enough, but we have to access the situation now, so hurry your lazy ass up." 

"Race you to the conference room." 

"You're not going to get me with your useless taunting." 

"If you say so." Sylvain turned and gave him a wink before breaking into a jog. 

The exasperated sigh he heard after and the rapidly approaching footsteps took away the pain in his hand. 

That incident had been years ago. Dimitri was back with them, safe and unsound, and Dedue was dead. The professor was back, but the presence of Byleth seemed to do little to sooth the burning madness that gripped Dimitri. 

Dimitri was taller and broader and more unkempt than he had ever been. The soft baby fat that rounded out his face at seventeen was gone. What remained were the harsh edges of his brow, the sharpness mimicked in his cheeks and jaw. Despite the taunt line of his body as he went throughout the day, tight and ready to snap like a cocked bow, Sylvain could see the deep purple bags under Dimitri's eyes. 

"You should sleep. Tomorrow's a new day, and no girl will want to be around you with such a gaunt look, your Highness." 

"There's no time to sleep. How can I sleep when she's still out there? How can I sleep knowing that they're all in pain?" 

Moonlight flittered down onto Dimitri's face through the broken ceiling of the cathedral. On someone else the light would have look soft and sensual, but on Dimitri the light looked too harsh, casted a shadow over his eyes and highlighted all the rough edges. 

"You can't take her head if you're too tired. Please try to sleep. You can't run yourself ragged and die before we make it out of this." Sylvain raised his hand, fingers itching to tangle into the fur of Dimitri's cape, but he let his hand fall limply to his side when Dimitri looked away. 

"I won't die... Not before I have her head. Goodnight." 

Heavy footfalls echoed through the cathedral as Dimitri walked away. In the huge silhouette, Sylvain couldn't find the contour of the sweet prince he knew five years ago. In the shadow, all he could see was the shape of a man, sick and unsightly. 

Sylvain was no strange to the fact Dimitri couldn't sleep. Before he had been captured, Dimitri had paced around his room, on occasion sending things clattering to floor as he pled. The problem was that Dimitri's insomnia worsened. From the guards, Sylvain heard whispers that Dimitri stayed up for days at a time, manically whispering to himself amidst the rubble of the cathedral. Then Dimitri would crash after seventy-two, eighty-four, who knew however many hours, and sleep like the dead for a few hours. 

On one occasion, Sylvain couldn't sleep and wandered to the cathedral. Dimitri laid in front of the rubble, sprawled onto his back. At first, Sylvain worried Dimitri was dead, but the soft snoring inhales indicated otherwise. He crouched down next to Dimitri, hand brushing hair away from Dimitri's face. The cold of the marble floor seeped through to his knee he placed on the floor. In sleep, Dimitri looked more at peace but ill in a different way. Dimitri's brow was still furrowed, looking more worried than aggravated. Sylvain ran his hand down, caressing a sharp cheek before cupping it. The skin beneath his hand was surprisingly soft, unharmed by the weather or scars. 

"Come back soon, Dimitri. We miss you." He let his hand linger, eyes moving slowly down to the slack, chapped lips before coming back up to rest on the closed eye. His hand moved to the eye patch, fingertips brushing against it. "I'm sorry." 

Sylvain leaned down and pressed a kiss to Dimitri's forehead. For a second the furrow in Dimitri's brow disappeared before returning with a vengeance. 

"Mother." 

Dimitri turned from Sylvain, shifting onto his side. Sylvain stayed kneeling, looking at the broad back facing him. It seemed like a chasm was between them, the broken cracks in the marble reflected in the mile wide distance between them. 

With a sigh, Sylvain rose. He took one last look at Dimitri, taking in the tight hunch of shoulders and the balled fist. He shook his head and turned, making his way back to his quarters. 

When Miklan had caused trouble at the tower, Sylvain had felt sick. Before, Sylvain had wanted to puke from the stress; after, he had worried he was going to blackout. Once they had returned, Sylvain had quietly made his way to his room; everyone had been somber, the reality of what had happened settling over them. Sylvain had been thankful for that. He had felt himself unraveling at the seams. He had made it to his room before the tears started, before the pain pulled savagely at his lungs. He had killed his brother. Once he was in his room, he had fallen apart quickly, years of grief and confliction baring down. His hands had shook as he raised them to his face and brushed away the tears that poured forth. With his back against his door, he had slid down to floor, head in his hand and between his knees. He had no idea how long he had cried before the tears had dried up and he was left to stare at the floor between his legs. 

The sharp curt knock to his door had startled him. 

"Sylvain? May I come in?" 

Sylvain had pulled himself up, legs sturdy like twigs beneath him. He had opened the door with a smile, welcoming Dimitri in with a swiping motion. " Come on in, your Highness. It's a pleasure to have such wonderful company." 

Dimitri had enter, tucking a piece of hair away from his face, and Sylvain had closed the door behind him.

"I know that this battle must have been incredibly hard on you. You say Miklan is no brother of yours, but I can't imagine that there wouldn't have been some sort of feeling. You spent some of your youth with him. He was your blood." 

Sylvain had let out a laugh, high and bitter. "I'm fine. We did what we had to do. Miklan renounced our brotherhood a long time ago. There's nothing to feel so upset over." 

"There's no need to feel like you must put up a farce. There's no weakness in admitting to emotion, grief or some other." Dimitri had placed his hand on Sylvain's shoulder. 

Maybe it had been the warmth of Dimitri's hand or the look of open concern that had the sting returning to Sylvain's eyes. Maybe it had been that this one time he could let someone really see him. Either way, Sylvain had pulled Dimitri to him, grasping tightly at the blue cape to keep Dimitri as close as possible.

"Sylvain." Dimitri had murmured, breath fanning over Sylvain's neck. 

Sylvain had hated how in that moment he turned his face into Dimitri's neck, lips ghosting against warm flesh. 

"I'm sorry." Dimitri had told him. Sylvain at the time couldn't figure out what Dimitri had been apologizing for. In the moment it had seemed for Miklan and his childhood, but now Sylvain wondered if Dimitri had been apologizing for the world they had been born in. 

Eventually, Dimitri came back to them. Dedue had returned, but they had lost Rodrigue. The loss finally pulled Dimitri out of the dark haze. The harsh edges of Dimitri's face seemed to soften, fill out as all the boyish charm returned. The strung bow like tightness of Dimitri's body relaxed, returning to a bow at rest. 

Still, Sylvain worried about him. Edelgard was alive, and one of the last father figures in Dimitri's life was gone.

A few nights after Rodrigue's death, Sylvain found Dimitri in front of the cathedral rubble once again. The moonlight trickled in, fuzzing the edges of Dimitri's silhouette. 

"Can't sleep?" Sylvain asked, coming up beside Dimitri. 

"No. Sleep still doesn't come easily. It seems determined to elude me." Dimitri turned to face Sylvain. "What about you? I don't recall you making it a habit to roam the cathedral so late. I hope you haven't made plans for another get together with a maiden." 

"I'm offend you think so lowly of me. I would never ask a girl to meet me so late. We'd have wasted so much time better spent together." Sylvain told him easily, grinning at the warm rosy color his words brought to Dimitri's cheeks. "I couldn't sleep either." 

"I guess sleep eludes the both of us tonight. Misery does love company as I recall." 

"I suppose so. Why are you here?" 

"It's still a habit to come here when the voice get too loud." 

"Are you okay? Rodrigue was important to us all, but he was another father figure to you." Sylvain reached out, hand gently cupping Dimitri's arm. 

"I think if you should be asking anyone if they're okay it should be Felix. He is the one that lost his father just a few days ago. He's far more in need of this kindness than I am, Sylvain." 

"I did talk to him. He'll power through and hold his head up high because that's all he knows how to do. You, on the other hand, are the one that might need to let things out. As the future king such grief could be seen as unbefitting, but you're just a human, Dimitri. You're a man who had to see too much loss as a child and just saw one more vestige of your childhood go. Didn't you say it's okay to feel emotion, grief or some other?" 

Dimitri let out a huff of a laugh, face turned away and down. 

"I did. Forgive me for my stubbornness. I appreciate that you're here to ask me. You're a much kinder person than you let on.

"I feel horrible looking back on what I've done. Could I really be worthy to be king when I just aided in the slaughter? I was blind to other people, and my blindness led to more suffering for you all. Twice now my family has taken away Felix's family. I don't know how I could every truly atone, even if I spend my whole life doing it." 

"We were born into a shitty world where people hate each other over crests and religion causes more strife sometimes than peace, but you can see how shitty it is and not want to topple the order and trample lives in the process. You've always been naively good, and you lost your way once. What matters is you want to change and atone for your lapse in judgement. You want to change things gradually for the better without upending everyone and causing more harm. That's why we follow you. That's why we're still here by your side after everything that's happened. We know you'll find the right way again. That's why I'm here with you now, Dimitri. You'll do better and be better to make up for all the loss. " 

This time Sylvain wasn't sure who pulled in who for the hug. All he knew was Dimitri was pressed against him in a bruising grip. 

"Sylvain," Dimitri said, voice thick with emotion, "thank you." 

"You're welcome."

Sylvain pulled Dimitri closer, raising a hand to run through the blonde strands. He let out a disgruntled noise when his fingers caught in tangles. "Your hair is awful. Who let you get away with this?" 

"It's from when I tried to lie down." Dimitri said against Sylvain's neck, lips brushing against the skin. 

"Off the hook for now. Don't let Dedue catch you with your hair like this during the day. He'll go around fretting you aren't taking care of yourself." Sylvain dropped his hand from Dimitri's hair, letting it rest on the broad expanse of his shoulders. 

"Of course. I wouldn't purposefully go around looking like a mess." 

Sylvain smiled. He gave Dimitri one last squeeze before he pulled away and looked at Dimitri.

The moonlight played across the planes of Dimitri's face, far less harsh than previous times. The soft blue light accentuated the shine of Dimitri's bottom lip, and the shadows on his face were subtle, adding a shine to Dimitri's hair or a glow to the highs of his cheeks. Despite pulling apart, they were still inches from each other. 

"I can't thank you enough. I'm glad I have someone so dependable and kind beside me." 

"Of course. I couldn't leave someone so innocent alone. The world would eat you up, and I couldn't stand to lose that glimmering innocence." 

Sylvain didn't realize he was leaning in until a violent blush broke over Dimitri's face. Dimitri turned away sharply, coughing into his hand. 

"I think we should try to sleep. Some sleep tonight would be better than none for the day ahead of us tomorrow. " Dimitri turned back to Sylvain. " I really do appreciate what you did for me tonight. Thank you for seeing me as a man and not as a king. I can't tell you how much I value that." 

"You've done the same for me. By the way, thank you for that. I- you checking on me meant a lot." 

"Of course. You're my dear friend, and I want to be there for you, whenever and however you need me." 

"Same to you." 

Dimitri smiled at him, cheeks still colored with rosiness before he turned away. "I'll be returning to my quarters. Have a goodnight." 

"Goodnight. Sleep some." 

Once again, Dimitri walked away from him and out the cathedral. This time in Dimitri's silhouette, Sylvain could find the lingering hints of his Highness' naive self in the set of his shoulders. Sylvain's hand twitched to reach out, but he kept it at his side. 

Finally, Edelgard was dead. The imperial army had fallen, and Dimitri united the three kingdom pieces into one under his rule. A bountiful feast was currently celebrating the union. The reception hall had been decorated with colored banners of the new kingdom with food and beverage tables along the walls while the center remained open for dancing. The wine and the song flowed freely, making warmth fizzle up inside Sylvain. For once the ache in his shoulders seemed to go away. They were all still here. They had made it alive and with a bastion of hope at their helm, yet that bastion was mysteriously missing. 

Sylvain excused himself from the festivities, smiling and flirting as he made his way through the throng to the open space of the entry way. The sounds of the party flittered quietly behind him as the cold night air enveloped him. He kept walking till he got to where concrete met grass, and lo and behold the king was outside with his back to the party. 

"Tired of partying, your Highness?" Sylvain asked as he came to stand next to Dimitri.

"I just need a breath of fresh air. It was getting to be stuffy in there."

Dimitri's black coat was off, hanging from his arm and the cuffs of his royal blue shirt were pushed up. 

"Parties have never been your thing. A shame really. There are many women in there dying for a chance to dance with you. They're all going on about the strong handsome king." 

"Stop please. You're embarrassing me." 

"Why? It's true. You're very strong and attractive by most metrics, and the ladies are losing it over the chance to be graced with a dance." 

"Sylvain." Dimitri said, cheeks painted a vivid red. 

"Alright, alright, I'll lay off with the gossip of the party which is all very true." Sylvain grinned at Dimitri before looking away and letting the grin fall. "Are you doing okay?" 

"There's a kind of ache. The Edelgard I killed wasn't the same Edelgard I gave the dagger to. It seems like she's died twice, but I regret that the first one died to give rise to the second I had to kill. I don't see where everything went so wrong. I... I miss the one that I used to know. " 

"That sounds tough. I guess you can't really stop missing the people you used to love, whether they're alive or dead. If they're gone, they're gone and they leave a kind of hole. Grief is kinda complicated like that. I don't miss the Miklan who hated me for my crest, but I lament for the Miklan that lost everything because of some arbitrary idea that only crests are valuable. This world ate him up and spit him out a hundred times worse than he might have been in a different one. I think the world did that to Edelgard too. It ate her up and killed the her that might have lived if the world was different.

"But in a world like this there are still people who can overcome what the world might throw at them. You could have ended up like Edelgard or Miklan, but you decided to change your fate for the better. I know you'll be able to change this world one day too." 

"Sylvain, thank you. I hope that I can make this world a place where people stop getting eaten. Thank you for being beside me. I know I can count on you to keep me true." 

"You're welcome. You're a person I trust to follow through with what's right." 

"Can I hug you?" Dimitri asked, voice small in the vastness of the area around them. 

"You don't have to ask, your highness." 

Dimitri wrapped his arms around Sylvain's shoulders, cheek pressing against Sylvain's. Sylvain slid his hands around Dimitri's waist, pulling the king close. The heat of Dimitri's face against his made the earlier warmth in Sylvain bubble up. The sharp clean scent of Dimitri's cologne filled Sylvain's nose as he breathed in deeply, closing his eyes to focus on the feeling. Dimitri was firm and immovable against him. 

"Sylvain?" 

The sound of Dimitri's voice directly against Sylvain's ear sent a shiver sizzling down his spine. 

"Yes, your highness?" 

"Would you accompany me to dinner next week? And please call me Dimitri." 

"I'll join you, and you know the familiarity would be frowned upon." 

"Please? At least when it's us, would you call me Dimitri?" 

"Alright. When it's just us, Dimitri." 

"Thank you." 

Sylvain could feel the rise of Dimitri's cheeks into a smile. He pressed closer, nudging his nose against the corner of Dimitri's jaw. 

"We should probably return to the party. They're going to be looking for the man of the night." 

"I suppose you're right. I do have a duty to be there. " 

"Yes, go woo all the stockings off the ladies." Sylvain said as he pulled away, cold quickly seeping in to the places where Dimitri and he had been pressed together. "You'll especially woo all their stockings off if you go back there showing so much forearm." 

"Of course I wouldn't go back like this. It's not proper." Dimitri tugged down his sleeves, fumbling to button them. 

"Let me." Sylvain grabbed onto one of Dimitri's hands, buttoning the cuff before turning to the other. He smoothed his hands down the sleeves, tugging to get out any wrinkles. "Now all you need is your jacket, and you'll be good to go." 

"Thank you." Dimitri tilted his head down as he put on his jacket, taking a step back from Sylvain. The move failed to hide the hints of red Sylvain could see on the apples of Dimitri's cheeks. 

"No problem. Can't have our king looking anything less than put together." Sylvain said easily, turning away to begin walking back the way he came. 

Dimitri followed, the king's longer strides easily putting him next to Sylvain. The walk was quiet, filled only with the growing sounds of the party. Heat radiated off Dimitri, and Sylvain could feel the heat of Dimitri's arm against his, their fingers occasionally brushing. All too soon the noises of the party became too clear and too loud, and then the door to the ballroom was in sight. 

As they approached the door a familiar red head caught sight of them, eyes bright and cheeks flushed. 

"Your Highness! Sylvain! Where have you been? People have been looking for you." Annette said as she rushed to them, taking Dimitri's hand into hers. "You have to dance with me and Mercie. You've been too stiff, and we have to fix that." 

Sylvain laughed, clapping a hand to Dimitri's shoulder. "You're entirely right, Annette. He's been way too much of a wallflower tonight. Show him how to let loose." 

"Well if you insist, I suppose I must. Where's Mercedes?" 

"This way. She's been dancing with Ashe." 

Annette tugged at Dimitri's hand, pulling him into the sea of noise and people. While there was a pang in Sylvain's chest at the loss of Dimitri's presence, he couldn't stop the smile that appeared as he watched a tiny Annette pull along a stooped Dimitri who was intently listening. 

"You're back. I thought you would have gone off with some woman by now." 

Sylvain turned, Felix beside him with his usual stony face. "I would never leave a celebration for his Highness just to go off with a woman. I'm hurt you think still continue to think so low of me despite knowing me all these years." 

"It's because I've known you all these years I think that way of you." Felix said, the ramrod straightness leaving his body as he relaxed into a contraposto. 

"Rude as ever, I see. Some things never change." Sylvain said with a laugh. 

"Did you go and bring his beastliness back to the party? Was he out somewhere moping with that pathetic look on his face?" 

Sylvain hummed, eyes drifting through the crowd. They landed on Dimitri, holding Mercedes as they dance. A smile warmed Dimitri's face, and Mercedes let out a laugh as she was twirled. 

"I suppose you could say that. He's okay though. He'll carry through." 

"Of course he will. He has so many people on his ass to keep him from falling again. " 

"I suppose that's one way to put it." Sylvain shook his head, edges of his lips upturned with fondness. "You could ask him about it yourself, you know. He's not some animal that can't communicate on the same level with you." 

Felix opened his mouth once before closing it, jaw tensing. "I know. He's a man with struggles and a heart that wants to be in the right place. It's been so long since I've seen his face as a man, but I haven't forgotten it." 

"I think he's looking forward to being able to talk to all of us again." 

"Probably. He's always valued the presence of people, especially ones he feels close to." 

"I'm- I missed it, the easy way we could tease each other and just laugh. I can't wait for a new normal that isn't filled with anxiousness about his Highness running himself ragged and getting killed. I'm even looking forward to the work I'll have to do as a noble inheriting the title of Margrave so long as he's the one leading us." 

"You're not alone. He has a debt to pay and an actual life to live." 

"Come, Felix, let's go dance. This celebration isn't a place for us to get so melancholic. Tonight's meant for letting loose and having fun." 

"Speak for yourself. I'm not dancing with anyone." 

"Aw, not even Annette? That's so sad. I can see her over there by the punch looking like she so desperately wants to be dancing with someone." Sylvain laid his hand on Felix's shoulder, leaning down to whisper the last part in his friend's ear. 

Felix flushed, face whipping to Sylvain. "Why would I possibly want to dance with her?" 

"'Annette, I'm so captivated by your song, my little song bird. Oh please, sing more for me! I am your captive.'" 

"I didn't say that." 

"That's what you meant. Go and dance with her. I'm sure she'll appreciate it." 

Felix glared at Sylvain, narrowed eyes moving back between Annette and Sylvain before he closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll go dance. Don't ever bring that up again or I'll cut you down." 

"I would never dream of it." Sylvain winked. "Have fun. I'm going to ask Ingrid for a dance." 

They parted ways, Sylvain making a beeline for Ingrid standing near the opening to an outdoor patio. 

"Care for a dance? I haven't had someone to dance with in a while." Sylvain asked, extending his hand with a smile.

"I find that hard to believe. Aren't you always feeding girls a line?" Ingrid said, taking his hand. 

"I haven't done that much today. I've been enjoying the company of you guys." 

"Look at your character progression. I'm impressed." Ingrid teased letting Sylvain lead her back into the throng of people for a dance. "Jokes aside, I'm happy that things are going back to normal."

"Me too. I don't have to worry so much about you not being at my side while there's a battle going on." 

"Same to you." 

Ingrid smiled and placed her hand in Sylvain's, laying her other on his shoulder. They easily fell into step with one another, Ingrid's grip sure and confident as she followed Sylvain's lead. The waltz music flittered between them, wrapping them up and pulling them along to the signature. Sylvain let his mind wander as he took in the joy that settled over him again. The wine, song, and laughter had cast away the oppressive blanket of the past five years, and Sylvain let the jovial mood wash over him, but too soon the music came to its conclusion. As Ingrid pulled away, Sylvain tugged at her hand. 

"Another one? It would be a shame to not get at least two dances in." 

"Fine. If you insist." Ingrid let out a little sigh, smile on her lips before falling back into step as the music started again. 

In the end, Sylvain managed to convince Ingrid to dance three more times with him. By the end, his cheeks were flushed from the exertion, but laughter fell easily from his mouth. He felt good, and when he left the festival that night he left alone, contented. That was the first night in a long while that Sylvain did not spend the night warming the bed for some other.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was meant to be a single chapter fic that was just about Dimivain kissing, but the fic grew to be more involved.
> 
> Any feedback and kudos is much appreciated!


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